Despite the growing dominance of digital platforms, printed travel brochures are not quite ready for the recycling bin.
Travel News recently ran a poll asking agents if, in the increasingly online world, there was still a future for printed travel brochures.
While 62% of respondents said “no,” 38% defended print's staying power – and some key industry voices are among them.
Trusted sales tool
Gary Mulder, MD of Beachcomber Tours South Africa, believes print continues to meet a need. “While we feel there is less need for the number of brochures in circulation, there are quite a number of agents and customers who prefer the printed brochures.”
Beachcomber believes that print brochures provide a tactile, high-quality experience that resonates with many agents and customers, especially for a visually-driven destination like Mauritius.
“In-store displays and face-to-face consultations are where brochures still shine as a trusted and effective sales tool,” says Kirsty Knott, Sales Relationship and Communications Manager at Beachcomber Tours.
Beachcomber continues to produce both full-size and mini brochures. “Our decision is influenced by the need to maintain a physical presence in the market, especially for agents and clients who appreciate having a brochure to refer to when planning travel,” said Knott.
“We believe that printed brochures are an essential part of the decision-making process, providing easy access to information in a compact, visually appealing way,” she added.
Tracking ROI
However, Beachcomber acknowledges the difficulty in tracking print’s return on investment.
“Direct ROI for print is harder to quantify, but we gauge its success through agent feedback, customer engagement and bookings which are influenced by brochure use. Many agents tell us brochures help close sales and are an important complement to our digital efforts.”
Kelly Jackson, MD of The Travel Corporation Tour Brands EMEA, highlighted the digital tracking advantage.
“Print is much harder to track directly, whereas digital gives us granular data in real-time.” However, she added: “We assess print ROI qualitatively through agent feedback, customer inquiries and trade engagement.”
Knott pointed out that there are specific market segments where print continues to perform.
“Printed brochures perform particularly well in the luxury and family-focused markets, where clients often prefer to take their time looking through materials and where a destination is sold visually alongside in-depth details.”
Jackson added: “We find print continues to resonate with older demographics, luxury clients, and customers planning more considered, long-haul travel as it helps visualise the itinerary flow and inclusions.”
Building relationships
For Beachcomber, printed brochures are more than marketing material – they are relationship-builders. Beachcomber’s sales executives love visiting its agent partners who are always excited to receive these, and who rave about how handy printed brochures are.
“Brochures are a valuable touchpoint in our relationships with agents. The feedback we get on both the full-size and mini versions has been overwhelmingly positive, with many agents saying they are essential tools for engaging customers in-store and helping guide the sales conversation,” said Knott.
Although The Travel Corporation’s approach has shifted toward digital co-branded assets, Jackson agreed that brochures still support agent relationships.
Shift inevitable
While print brochures might remain part of the mix now, the digital tide is rising and some believe these sales tools will disappear in the not-too-distant future.
“I see a complete shift sometime in the next few years. Sustainability responsibilities will drive that along with more and more adoption of digital by all customers,” said Mulder.
Jackson believes that operators using a marketing strategy of choice, flexibility and smart targeting will keep print brochures alive well into the future. “Printed brochures certainly don’t hold the same dominance they once did, but I wouldn’t say they’re obsolete. We still produce printed brochures, but in significantly reduced volumes – about a quarter of what we printed pre-COVID. Digital now makes up the vast majority of our marketing spend. Our budget for print is a fraction of what it once was and continues to decline each year,” said Jackson. But she still does not foresee an abrupt end to print.
“While digital is clearly the future, print still has a place, albeit a smaller one. The key is being selective and purposeful. There is still a segment of the market that values the physical experience.”
